Dear Rabbi Fried, I have fasted on Yom Kippur as long as I can remember and am nostalgic about the bagels and smoked fish break-fasts with my late parents, aunts…

The Torah says, “For this mitzvah which I command you today — it is not hidden from you, and it is not distant. It is not in heaven for you…

By Rabbi Yerachmiel D. Fried Dear Rabbi, At this time of the year I am always troubled by the fact that all Jews “know” there is a mitzvah to hear…

Dear Rabbi, Recently I’ve seen a lot written about happiness. Happiness is a very difficult concept to quantify, and historians debate whether or not we, with all our creature comforts,…

Rabbi Fried, I was invited to a bris at an orthodox synagogue this past week and they blew the shofar at the end of services. When I asked someone why…

Dear Rabbi Fried, Why are there so many teenagers with low self-esteem today and why do they look for “quick fixes” in other means like drugs, alcohol, etc.? Also, what…

Dear Rabbi Fried, I joined a service for the first time on Tisha B’Av last year, where everyone sat on the floor and recited special prayers in a state of…

Dear Rabbi Fried, I would like to inquire about the three weeks of mourning being observed by Orthodox Jews. Why need we mourn something that happened so long ago? I…

Dear Rabbi Fried, We recently had a loss in our family, and the observant children of my cousin ripped their garments at the funeral. I have seen people pin a…

Dear Rabbi Fried, I understand that you published a new book about conversion which some people were talking about and said it was unique, and I wondered what about it…